Tattoo

When we were kids spending many summer beach days on 83rd Street in Virginia Beach, we used to swim out to the dolphins. As soon as we saw they were close enough in, we’d grab our boogie boards and start swimming. We’d put our faces in the water to talk to them, and watch as they glided by, sometimes as close as 5 feet away. It was quiet except their blow holes bursting up from the water, and their chatter if we put our ears in to listen. Sometimes they’d go under us, just the tops of their heads and always-unique dorsal fin showing, and sometimes they’d be playing, their tails splashing or even fully leaping into the air, giving us a show. Sometimes they’d swim in circles around my mom, rolling over so we could see their pink bellies. When I went to Haiti years later, our translator told us that in some cultures, they believe dolphins are the guardians of the earth, because of their intelligent, playful and protective spirits. I’ve collected them forever, and dream of dolphins often. When Sheaff proposed, he had designed a ring with two waves that held up the diamond, knowing the ocean was a part of my heart.

So now, a tattoo. Three dolphins for Adalyn, Bria and Bryce, whose spirits are magical. A star for Abram, our baby in the sky, ever-shining, full of light. Waves for Sheaff, and where our story began. It’s on my forearm, where I have held and cradled each of our 4 babies and loved them, memorizing their faces the day they were born. The same skin that touched each of them now also has our family on it. This felt like a huge decision for me but all the pieces felt like what I want to carry with me always.